Rose stepped forward and shouted. "You're the most obnoxious... knob" - Alice grasped - "in the entire Empire!"

Ben put a hand on her shoulder. "Let him be, Rose. He isn't worth the trouble." He looked at Tobias. "Let's be off." Then he looked around and stepped inside of the church. "Elijah!... oh..." Anne was hugging Elijah and crying, and he was clearly trying to comfort the poor child. Ben nodded in understanding and then added quietly. "We'll be at ours..." And he stepped back out and the party started moving, heading towards the yard where the Wards lived.